Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) battled slippery and windy conditions to secure a fourth consecutive victory in the elite men's division at British Cyclo-cross National Championships.
Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing) rode solo in the chase for the silver medal, and 21-year-old Ben Askey (CC Etupes) finished with the bronze, one spot better than last year.
Mason moved into the lead halfway through the first lap and then went on a tear, having to make multiple bike changes to find a tyre pressure which would keep him from slipping in corners.
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"It was probably one of the trickiest wins I've had. I just couldn't stay on my bike for a couple of those laps. I spent a while trying to get lower pressure as well. But yeah, I put together a couple good laps in a row and managed to get the gap," Mason told organisers at the finish after holding up four fingers to indicate a fourth national 'cross title.
"A really tricky course, it was like,frozen underneath the mud, so it was really hard to kind of dig in. There were no ruts, there were no lines, just all mud.
"Honestly, the gap came down at the end because I was still struggling to just get around all the off-cambers. Toby pushed me absolutely all the way."
A fourth national 'cross title for Cameron Mason on Sunday (Image credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)
The silver for Toby Barnes was his best career finish in seven elite races at cyclo-cross nationals.
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By the final lap, Daniel Barnes, brother and Spectra Racing teammate of Toby, closed the distance to Askey in a battle for the final podium spot which went to Askey with Daniel Barnes going fourth.
Thomas Meins (Hope Factory Racing), the 2022 British CX champion finished fifth.
"I kind of rode my own race, used Cam where I could when it was a strong headwind, tried to tuck in behind him," Toby Barnes said about the early part of the race where he battle with Mason.
"There's a few technical sections where I felt really good. So I'd lead a couple of times, got a little gap. I thought halfway through, well, we're still with him. I could win.
"Then he got away. And then second-last lap, I think I pulled it back maybe to about 10 seconds. And then last lap, he you found another gear, and went again."
How it unfolded
Cold temperatures and thawing mud persisted on Sunday in South Shields for the British Cyclo-cross National Championships, with the 2.8-kilometre track adjacent to the North Sea becoming slippery.
On the first lap 18-year-old Oscar Amey (Tekkerz CC) set the pace at the front, with the field strung out in a hectic tempo. Cameron Mason (Seven Racing) moved from fourth position and took the lead with a powerful pass on a small uphill, Oscar Amey and Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing) the only two to follow. Only a few minutes later, Oscar Amey dropped a chain and fell off the lead group.
Toby Barnes (right) and Cameron Mason slide in a corner (Image credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)
Mason grabbed a new bike in the pits for lap two, no technical issues with the bike just a new ride with adjusted tyre pressure. The three-time elite men's 'cross champion set the pace with only Toby Barnes nearby. Meins had worked his way into the chase group of Ben Askey.
Toby Barnes then took control at the front with the red jersey of Mason looking to fight to hold his wheel near the end of lap two, with a bike change for Barnes allowing Mason to go back to the front.
With four to go, Mason opened a gap to Toby Barnes and pushed away with a 10-second advantage. Ben Askey rolled through the start-finish in lone third, with a substantial margin to any riders behind.
On the next circuit, Mason's back wheel slid out slightly on a few corners, and he yelled to his pit crew but did not take a bike change on that pass. Toby Barnes and Ben Askey continued with their solo efforts in second and third, respectively.
Despite another bike change to get the tyre pressure dialed, Mason continued on his commanding ride for the solo victory.
Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.
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